I walked into the first concert hall of my life in Houston, Texas. It had just been constructed and it blew my mind, inside and out. A huge hanging sculpture called "The Gemini II" soared above us as we entered and ascended the staircase, paying homage to the city's role in space exploration. The auditorium inside was state-of-the-art at that time with floors and walls that could be reconfigured at will mechanically to fit many performance requirements. My 11th grade class went to Jones Hall on a field trip to see and listen to the Houston Symphony Orchestra perform and they blew my mind even more than the building did. Their performance sent chills racing up my spine from the first measure played so intense I almost passed out from the sensation, convincing me to attend symphony orchestra class in 12th grade the following year.
Thus began my love of great performance venues and artists, but it would be seven more years before I attended another concert in a large concert hall again, when I went to see Arlo Guthrie at Lloyd Nobel Arena in Norman, Oklahoma.
